San Mateo grocery boasts tastes of India, Fiji

Nirmal Jha, owner of Islanders Hala Meat and Grocery, and his daughter, Ashma, hold up a wooden bowl used to mix kava drinks.

Nirmal Jha, owner of Islanders Hala Meat and Grocery, and his daughter, Ashma, hold up a wooden bowl used to mix kava drinks.

Photo: Cynthia Liu

Photo: Cynthia Liu

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Nirmal Jha, owner of Islanders Hala Meat and Grocery, and his daughter, Ashma, hold up a wooden bowl used to mix kava drinks.

Nirmal Jha, owner of Islanders Hala Meat and Grocery, and his daughter, Ashma, hold up a wooden bowl used to mix kava drinks.

Photo: Cynthia Liu

San Mateo grocery boasts tastes of India, Fiji

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At Islanders Halal Meat & Grocery in San Mateo, one can find Fijian groceries and Polynesian specialties without leaving the country.

The store has been open for more than a decade and most recently changed hands in June. The Jhas -- a Nepalese family of East Indian descent -- are the sixth owners of the store. Nirmal Jha -- along with his wife, Padma; daughter, Ashma; and son, Aashish -- took over after the previous owners moved to Fiji.

Close to half of the population of Fiji is of Indian descent. Indigenous Melanesians make up the 50 percent majority, and Europeans and Chinese round out the mix. When Fiji was a British colony from 1875 until 1970, tens of thousands of Indians were brought there as indentured servants.

San Mateo resident Saileshni Lata is Fijian of Indian descent. "We are like islanders, but also keep some traditions from our Indian heritage, celebrating the same festivals as they do in India," she said.

The Fijian Indian diet includes the dal (lentils and pulses), rice and spices found in traditional Indian cuisine. The Jhas sell these, as well as vermicelli noodles that are commonly cooked in milk and sugar.

The Indian dessert, gulab jamun, which are soft, fried balls soaked in syrup, are made crispy and without syrup in Fiji. Fijian snacks such as murkoo, spicy crunchy fritters made from pea and rice flours, seem to be derived from Indian chaat snacks.

The store carries both chapati flour and Fiji flour for homemade flatbreads. Chapati flour is a whole-wheat flour. Fiji flours are wheat flours that come in yellow or white varieties. Fiji flour is lighter in texture and color than chapati flour, Lata said. Another customer, Sharifa Bano, believes that Fiji flour is softer than regular all-purpose flour.

Yet Lata said that Fijian Indians tend to consume more root crops such as taro, yucca and yams, rather than the typical roti and chapati breads. In general, Fijian Indians use more seafood and Polynesian staples such as taro root, coconut milk and taro leaves.

One of the most popular Fijian dishes is lolo fish or fish cooked in coconut cream. Islanders Grocery imports frozen fish from Fiji, including waloo steaks, whole kawakawa and whole emperor fish. Many Tongans and Samoans also shop at the store for Polynesian delicacies.

Also in the frozen section are palusami, a Samoan dish of baked taro leaves cooked in coconut cream, and ivi, Polynesian chestnuts that can be cooked in coconut milk or grated and steamed to make a cake.

The store carries both taro root and fresh taro leaves, known as rourou in Fiji, as well as fried taro chips for snacking. Fijians love pumpkin -- different from the American Halloween variety -- and like to simmer it in curries and stews. Another vegetable that is commonly found in curries is duruka, a sorghum stalk that is also known as Fiji asparagus. The grocery sells canned duruka.

Of course, a store catering to Fijians must carry kava, the national drink, a bitter brew made from the root of a pepper plant. Dried kava root or powder is mixed with water in a large ceremonial wooden bowl and drunk with individual coconut bowls. This Polynesian drink is promoted as a stress reliever and an antidepressant.

Another medicinal drink from the South Pacific is noni juice, which is touted for its antioxidant and immunity-boosting properties.

There is an odd contrast between the Polynesian aspect of Fiji and its British colonial influence. The British brought their livestock and contributed the meaty stews that are part of Fijian cuisine. To this day, Fijians continue to buy canned corned beef and canned mutton from Australia, with the same zeal that Spam is consumed in Hawaii. Lata said the tradition of canned food began as a necessity because of the hurricanes in the tropics.

Other colonial legacies include spicy chicken bangers (sausages), Weetabix cereal and Cornwell's Pick Me Up Sauce with anchovies and vinegar, which is like a Fijian-Australian Worcestershire sauce.

For Fijians nostalgic for home, there are also Bongo cheese snacks (think cheese puff rings), black salt and Ocean sand soap, an abrasive all-purpose cleaner that can be used to clean everything from floors to greasy hands.

In addition to groceries, Islanders Grocery also sells mango sticks from Fiji, which are burned in religious and life ceremonies. They have Indian movies for rent and also offer a monthly two-hour DVD with news and soap operas from Fiji.

The store is also known for its Halal meats, which are permissible in Islam. Meat is actually the best-selling product, followed by taro and taro leaves. Jha cuts "barbecue" lamb chops three-quarters- to a half-inch thick. They sell more than 25 20-pound cases of lamb chops a week. The Jhas sell New Zealand lamb, for Fijians believe that Australian lamb has a strong smell and takes longer to cook than New Zealand lamb. The Jhas also cut lamb chops into 1 1/2 inch square "curry pieces" which are great for stews.

The Jhas do not sell beef because of their Hindu customers, who comprise 40 percent of the Fijian population. Muslims do not eat pork, so they do not process pork onsite, but carry a few prepackaged pork products, such as sausages. The store also offers Halal chicken, lamb, goat, duck and even Halal chicken nuggets.

Jha, who worked at a Mexican grocery in San Francisco, added fresh produce and fresh meat when he took ownership of the store. There is also a small Hispanic section. Jha would like to add more Latin foods, as well as Nepalese specialties in the near future.